Baekhyun straightened his back as he tried to stretch out knots that had formed between his shoulderblades. This was a normal occurrence but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable. He knew the angle in which he had bent over the work table was not the best.

But habits were hard to break when they got him where he wanted to be. Whether he was hunched over an art book or bent over a piece of fabric, the same telltale knots would show up around the same time in the creation process.

Still, it gave him income for a comfortable living.

So the payoff wasn't horrible. And he was doing what he always wanted to do.

Baekhyun was the sole owner of a formal wear boutique that was nestled in a quiet corner at the edge of the city's elite shopping district. Every article of clothing in the shop was his own design and creation. People came from miles around to request specially made garments for their formal affairs. Every item had the {BHouse} name on the tag. Over the 12 years of his business multiple weddings, proms, bar mitzvahs, sweet sixteens, anniversary celebrations, and even a christening had all been graced by his beautiful designs.

He credited his two employees for keeping him sane so he could keep going. A dream had to have support to exist, and Jongdae and Minseok were that support for him. Jongdae was a tailor with an excellent eye for lines, and Minseok was the best seamster that Baekhyun had ever met. Between the three of them, there wasn't a design they couldn't handle, no matter how challenging. The small boutique had gathered a reputation as one of the best formal wear shops in the industry. The wait for a garment could be up to 12 months but it was well worth the wait.

The shop generally took clients by appointment only, but there was a bell on the front door to alert them of the occasional drop-in customer. It was this bell that had gotten Baekhyun's attention and made him realize how badly he needed to stretch. A glance at the clock told him he had been working on the pattern from his latest design for over 2 hours.

Jongdae had answered the front when the bell sounded, so the designer wandered over to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup as he listened for the sound of the bell again. The tailor was quick to hand a business card to potential clients and ask them to call back to schedule appointments.

Usually.

Today, however..

Baekhyun coughed on his hot coffee when Jongdae's upper torso leaned around the corner suddenly with a "Hey B!"

"Y-yeah?" Baekhyun spluttered.

"Got a minute?"

The designer shot a quizzical look at his friend as he wiped his chin off. "..why?"

"Our customer is very insistent on talking with you today." Jongdae gave a fake positive look to the designer.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, placed his coffee down and checked his shirt for stains. Finding none, he ran his fingers through his hair quickly then stepped around the corner to greet the customer. He should have taken a deep breath as well.

The tall good looking man standing at the front desk turned to greet him and Baekhyun suddenly felt he couldn't breathe.

"M-Mr. Park.." the designer struggled to maintain his composure.

Park Chanyeol, CEO of the Park Industries conglomerate, was a very rich man with a lot of influence in the business world. One word from the powerful man could triple the worth of a company overnight. The CEO was a very busy man, so it was strange to see him make a personal visit to such a business when he could have just had one of his assistants make a call for him.

Baekhyun snuck his much needed breath, camouflaging it with a soft smile. "How may we help you sir?"

The tall businessman returned the smile and it knocked the breath back out of the designer's lungs. The CEO wasn't known for smiling in pictures, so this was something Baekhyun was unprepared to see. He blinked as he waited to pass out or the CEO to speak, whichever came first.

The tall man cocked his head slightly. "You are Mr. Byun?"

Baekhyun took in another much needed breath. "Ah. Yes! Yes I am." He pulled a notebook over on the counter and with slender fingers selected a pencil from a decorative jar next to it. The CEO's eyes trailed the action. The designer cleared his throat. "Um.. Mr. Park?"

The taller's eyes flickered up in recognition as he cleared his throat. "Yes. I ah.. Yes." He nodded, more assured. "We would like for you to design a dress."

"..We?" Baekhyun lifted an eyebrow, confused.

The CEO smiled again. He turned slightly, reaching behind him. A willowy woman with beautiful large eyes and demure smile seemed to magically appear from behind the tall man. He placed his arm lovingly around her shoulders and smiled again. "A beautiful dress for the most beautiful woman." he said.

Baekhyun generally kept his ual preferences hidden. He wasn't ashamed but he felt there was too much stigma about designers, and hated possibly fitting into a stereotype. But the single designer would be first to admit the tall CEO seemed like everything he wanted in a man. So when the handsome man put his arm so familiarly around the equally attractive lady, it took an act from years of experience for the desinger to not show his disappointment. Inside he was wailing and stomping his feet in a temper tantrum like a child being denied candy. Outside he was cool and polished with a soft smile, pencil poised over the empty paper, waiting expectantly for further information.

The woman's light laughter tinkled in the air as she nudged the tall man. "Chanyeollie~.." affection evident in her soft voice.

Baekhyun blinked. Internally screaming, caught between the sweet scene in front of him and the cracking of his heart that never even had a chance to experience love with this gorgeous hunk of a ma- 

"Mr. Byun?" The woman's voice was tentative.

The designer caught himself and smile reassuringly. "Yes ma'am..?"

The woman stepped closer to the notepad. Her fingers figited briefly before she spoke again. "I have admired your work for years and when I decided to marry I knew I wanted to spend my big day wearing one of your dresses. I have 10 months. Is that enough time?"

Baekhyun was surprised but pleased at the woman's straightforward attitude. She wasn't being rude as she fully explained the situation. He decided he liked her, despite his disappointment over the tall man beside her. With a broad smile he began drawing a rudimentary figure outline on the paper. "What sort of design did you have in mind?" he asked.

The woman smiled back gratefully. "Oh, well.. it's a late spring wedding but we will have it in the evening, so I thought a light three-quarter sleeve would be nice. And I definitely want a full skirt.."

The two continued the conversation freely, talking about the wedding location and theme, dress material preferences, color scheme, style possibilities, and so on. Baekhyun contined sketching and taking down notes the entire time, and the page soon filled to the brim with ideas.

The designer was in his element and starting to really get excited about the dress the lovely woman wanted him to create for her. He was so absorbed by the conversation that he visibly startled when the CEO suddenly spoke, looking at his watch. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but-"

"Oh Chanyeollie we got carried away - I'm sorry!" the pretty lady seemed genuinely worried.

Baekhyun cleared his throat. "Yes. Your time is valuable, and I apologize for taking so much of it." The CEO looked upset but didn't get to say anything as the designer continued. "I have enough information to draw a rendering of your dress. If I could have an address I will be happy to send a copy to you when I have it completed so you can approve the full design."

"OR I COULD- I mean- My office is on this end of town so I could just come pick it up."

The designer was surprised but the woman seemed amused at the taller's words. She exchanged a glance with the man, then turned back to address Baekhyun. "Yes, that sounds like a reasonable solution." she said, her eyes twinkling for some reason.

The designer was confused again. But then again, maybe Mr. Park was one of those men that wanted to control EVERYTHING in their lives. It was fine. The bride was lovely and would be a dream to sew for, as long as Baekhyun could overlook his prematurely broken heart. He pushed said heart back down his throat and gave a bright smile. "It's settled then! If I can just know how you want me to contact you, we can get this project started.."

The CEO was staring at Baekhyun as he spoke but didn't seem to register what had been said. The woman nudged the tall man and cleared .

The designer realized there was a lot of throat clearing going on. Did they need to change the air filter in the shop?

His musing was broken up by the CEO handing him a business card. "This is my office number. I'll tell my secretary to be expecting your call."

Baekhyun nodded. "I'm feeling inspired, so this won't take me long. You should be hearing from me in about a week or so." He turned to the woman. "Once everything is approved you'll need to come back into the shop so I can take your measurements."

The woman looked excited. "I can't believe this is happening!" She smiled happily as she turned to the tall man.

He responded by putting his arm back around her waistline. "I told you I wanted only the best for you."

"Oh but you spoil me too much.." she smiled up at him.

Baekhyun wanted desperately to be somewhere else instead of witnessing a lovers exchange where one was the man of his dreams, but said man interrupted his self contained misery. "Money is no object with this. Please select what you feel would compliment her best when you are making your design choices."

Baekhyun blinked again. "Oh- of course..!" He have his most reassuring smile.

The CEO smiled back, but the woman seemed to now be on a mission to leave. She took the tall man's hand and tugged. "Come now Chanyeollie! Let's let Mr. Byun alone to be his brilliant self.."

Baekhyun smiled with his hand raised in a little wave as the two left the shop.

As the bell on the door chimed, Jongdae popped his head back around the corner. "Coffee?" he suggested.

Baekhyun turned, groaning. "Better add some bourbon to it."

"That bad?" the tailor asked.

"It is for my libido.." the designer grumbled.

The tailor cackled. "Hey Min! B's crushing on a groom!"

The seamster hollered back. "Guess that means his 's not dead!"

The designer yelled back. "My is alive and well thank you!" 

Behind Baekhyun someone coughed.

The designer turned slowly back around. The tall CEO of Park Industries was standing just inside the door of the shop, with an amused expression on his face. Baekhyun squeezed his eyes shut, but before he could say anything the man beat him to it. "Alive and well, huh..?"

The amused tone of the CEO did nothing to reassure the now panicked designer. "I am so very sorry! That was completely unprofessional of me and I have no excuse for my behavior. If we could just act like that never happened I would be so grateful and-"

"I don't think so.."

Baekhyun froze, the panic in his mind now transferring fully to his face. But before he could respond, the CEO continued. "..Actually, it is reassuring to know that one's reproductive organs are healthy. At least.. it is for me anyway.." he gave a little shrug.

Baekhyun choked on air as he turned even more red in embarrassment. "Whaa.a..." he eloquently wheezed.

The tall man continued. "I actually came back to offer a downpayment on the dress.. but I hadn't counted on getting this sort of bonus information."

Baekhyun didn't know whether to laugh or cry by this point. He settled for "Ohh..kay.." then mentally kicked himself for not saying anything remotely intelligent. He was a well-educated man and yet here he was acting like a blithering idiot front of the powerful CEO.

"Mr. Byun?" the tall man tilted his head down sideways as though to look up at the befuddled designer.

The shorter gave a tentative smile, feeling amused and strangely touched at the gesture. "Mr. Park.." he returned.

The handsome CEO gave a small smile and nod, then reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a checkbook and fountain pen from the inner pocket. He proceeded to start writing out a check. "Will $5000 be enough for now?" he asked. Baekhyun had made such an idiot of himself, and yet the CEO still intended to have the dress made.

The designer stumbled over his words. "Y-yes um that will- it would- I mean- whatever you-" he stopped himself and took a deep breath. "That will be fine, thank you." he finally managed gracefully.

The CEO smiled, amused. He reached out and placed the check on the counter. "I look forward to seeing your work - I know the dress will be absolutely gorgeous on her."

Baekhyun felt his heart sink. That's right. The handsome man was getting married. Dammit. There was no way to back out of making this dress, either.

The designer plastered on a smile. "Thank you, Mr. Park. I look forward to working hard to help her dream dress become reality."

The tall man put his checkbook and pen away, then turned to leave. "I'm really leaving this time.." he said with a sly grin, looking directly at Baekhyun.

The designer spluttered.

The little bell chimed again and within seconds Jongdae popped his head back around the corner. "Is he actually gone now?"

"Yeah.. along with my dignity and reputation as a respectable designer.." Baekhyun muttered. He ran his fingers through his hair, aggravated. "Aaaghh!"

The tailor grinned. "Well you tried to pick your dignity off the floor.."

Minseok walked over, handing the designer a freshly poured cup of coffee. "At least he approved of the status of your reproductive organs."

Baekhyun glared, but had to join the other men, laughing. "Ok ok enough of that. Somebody call out for lunch and get me a chicken Caesar salad with extra croutons." He grinned as he grabbed his coffee and the notebook, walking back over to his work station. "I've got to design a reputation-saving killer of a dress so I need the carbs!"

Jongdae grinned as he picked up his phone. "I'm on it! Min what do you want today?"

Baekhyun turned to his worktable, letting the sound of the other two men deliberately drift into background noise as he looked over his sketch of the new dress. His mind turned with thoughts. He placed the CEO's business card carefully on a corkboard next to his workstation and copied the phone number down in his file log. Then he opened his large sketchbook to a fresh page, selected a thin charcoal pencil from a decorative jar next to the wall, and began to draw.

Layered organza tulle with at least one level fully embroidered with a leaf-like pattern.. Lightweight satin underskirting with a double crinoline.. a long half-sleeve in three-quarter style also with light embroidery in the same pattern.. Soft neckline that drifts into skin..

The image in his head began pouring out onto the thick paper. The subtle lines and details blending into a symphony of design. This is what {BHouse} was known for. And Baekhyun reveled in it.

Lunch had arrived and sat in the fridge over 2 hours before the designer paused.

He leaned back, stretching his shoulders as he looked at the drawing. "Min, what do you think..?" he called over to the seamster.

"I think you should eat your lunch." Minseok replied.

Baekhyun picked up the large sketchbook, walked over, and bonked the smaller man on the head. ".." he said affectionately. "What do you think of the design?"

The seamster chuckled as he took the sketchbook then looked at the opened page, eyeing everything critically. They joked a lot but they trusted each other. Minseok knew the designer better than anyone. They had been friends for years before Baekhyun had hired him to work with him. So the seamster wouldn't lie to him. If it was good, he would say so. He smiled. "Eat that salad well - you need it with all your exhausted brain cells. You've really gone all out with this beauty!"

Baekhyun grinned appreciatively as he opened the take-out box. "Thanks..! I need this to be spectacular since I humiliated myself so badly with the groom. The bride is absolutely lovely tho, so that's great."

"From what I heard, the groom is too.." the seamster said slyly.

The designer sighed as he stabbed his salad with a fork. "He IS~..." he groaned. "Dammit why are all the good ones taken~?!"

"We're at the whining stage already? Somebody's got it ba~d!" Jongdae said.

"Somebody needs to shut u~p!" Baekhyun glared, shoving a bite in his mouth.

The tailor snorted. "The trick is figuring out how you're gonna work with this guy and not make a fool of yourself.."

The designer pouted as he swallowed his food. "I can do that.. I can..!"

"Are you trying to reassure us or just convince yourself?" Minseok asked, smirking.

Baekhyun grunted in frustration. "Ugh.. Why do I put up with you two?!"

Jongdae cackled as he slung an arm over the whining man's shoulders. "You know you love us.."

The designer stabbed more food onto his fork. "Yeah yeah..!" He rolled his eyes as he took another bite.

~~~